Download Flatulence - ChemConnections

Chem 227 / Dr. Rusay
Flatulence*
Carbohydrates, Digestion & Enzymes
The downside of eating high fiber, healthy foods (vegetables, grains. nuts, cereals)
gastrointestinal distress.
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* Also known as passing gas, farting, flatus or breaking wind. Fart derives from the Latin word for
"wind." "Flatulent" refers to being "liable to, or prolific in, windy blasts,"
http://www.etenet.com/Apps/Library/
http://www.tipsofallsorts.com/flatus.html
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Most people produce about O.5 liters to 1.5 liters of gas a day and everyone passes gas about
14 times a day on average. It is a natural, but usually unspeakable phenomenon that can occur
at any time even when our bodies are relaxed while in bed or in the bathtub. How loud the
sound of expelling gas is directly proportional to the volume and pressure of the gas. Some are
silent.
It has been reported that it is unwise to withhold the urge to release gas since gas is absorbed
into the blood stream and the liver can be overtaxed with recycled gas. However, many people
think that they should not have any gas or what they do have needs to be reabsorbed and that
any gas is too much.
Gas is made primarily of odorless vapors - carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and methane.
The unpleasant odor of flatulence comes from anaerobic fermentation by bacteria in the colon.
That "one-of-a-kind smell" comes from trace gases such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, indole,
skatole putrecine and cadaverine that are produced by the person's unique gastrointestinal
biota.
Although having gas is common, for most of us it is uncomfortable and embarrassing. The most
common ways to reduce the discomfort of gas are changing diet, taking medicines, and
reducing the amount of air one swallows.
Diet. A diet that is lactose-free may improve the condition as well as eliminating or reducing
certain common gas-producing foods. (See the following table.) Doctors may also suggest
limiting high-fat foods to reduce bloating and discomfort. This helps the stomach to empty faster,
allowing gas to move into the small intestine.
Nonprescription medicines. Many nonprescription, over-the-counter medicines are available
to help reduce symptoms, including antacids with simethicone and activated charcoal. The
effectiveness of these medications is unclear. Digestive enzymes, such as lactase supplements,
actually help digest carbohydrates and may allow people to eat foods that normally cause gas.
Beano reduces gas production associated with baked beans and other types of foods which are
rich in certain oligosaccharides (complex sugars called RFOs, the Raffinose Family of
Oligosaccharides that are not digested in the human gastrointestinal tract. The product contains
an enzyme which hydrolyzes the sugars into simpler forms, glucose and fructose, that are
absorbed into the bloodstream which avoids their fermentation.
http://www.beano.net/health_notes.htm#beans_ages
BEANS THROUGHOUT THE AGES
The next time you go to enjoy your favorite bean dish, know that there's a bushel
of history behind it: Beans have been elevating mankind not just nutritionally but
spiritually for thousands of years. Among the first crops ever cultivated, beans
have helped people survive famines, had prominent families named after them,
nourished centuries of sailors, and even had temples built in their honor as the
symbols of life itself. Here's a closer look at some of the highlights in the long and
glorious history of this noble nutritional mainstay.
* When our hunting-and-gathering prehistoric ancestors finally decided to
stay in one place long enough to cultivate crops, beans were among the
first to be grown.
* In the first Roman cookbook, written over 2,000 years ago, beans got an
entire chapter
* The four most prominent families in ancient Rome named themselves after
beans-the Lentulus (after lentils), the Fabius (after favas), the Ciceros
(after chickpeas), and the Pisos (after peas).
* Beans were used as "ballots" by the ancient Greeks and Romans casting
votes in political elections and legal trials.
* Christopher Columbus took chickpea seeds with him on his voyage to the
Caribbean in the 15th century.
* In the 16th century, dried peas helped the peasant population of England
survive a devastating famine.
* In the 17th century, beans were believed to be a cure for baldness.
* In the early 1900s, nutritious beans were declared by President Theodore
Roosevelt as the reason for the US victory in the Battle of San Juan Hill.
* During World War II, the US Army floated waterproof bags of beans from
ships to beachheads to help nourish American troops.
Use 1 BEANO tablet or five drops of BEANO liquid per serving of
problem food (one serving = 1/2 cup) with the first bite of food. A
typical meal consists of two or three servings. For best results, you
may have to adjust the number of tablets or drops according to
your food portions. Too much heat can inactivate the enzyme, so
don't cook with BEANO.
Foods Associated with Flatulence
Vegetables
Legumes
Grains/Cereals/See
ds/Nuts
Others
Beets
Black-eyed peas
Barley
Bagels
Broccoli
Bog beans
Breakfast cereals
Baked beans
Brussel sprouts
Broad beans
Granola
Bean salads
Cabbage
Chickpeas
Oat bran
Chili
Carrots
Field beans
Oat flour
Lentil soup
Cauliflower
Lentils
Pistachios
Pasta
Corn
Lima beans
Rice bran
Peanut butter
Cucumbers
Mung beans
Rye
Soy milk
Leeks
Peanuts
Sesame flour
Split-pea soup
Lettuce
Peas
Sorghum, grain
Stir-fried
vegetables
Onions
Pinto beans
Sunflower flour
Stuffed cabbage
Red kidney beans
Wheat bran
Tofu
Soybeans
Whole wheat flour
Whole grain
breads
The RFOs are fairly widespread in the plant kingdom, being found in many different families.
RFOs rank second only to sucrose in abundance as water-soluble carbohydrates. A relatively
high abundance of raffinose, stachyose and verbascose are found in the foods listed in the
Table: Foods Associated with Flatulence.
The Raffinose Family of
Oligosaccharides (RFOs) is
comprised of α-galactosyl
derivatives of sucrose. The most
common are: the trisaccharide
raffinose, the tetrasaccharide
stachyose and the pentasaccahride
verbascose. Note that the RFOs
are simply sucrose plus either one,
two or three galactoses. The
trisaccharide raffinose, O-α-Dgalactopyranosyl-(1,6)- O-α-Dglucopyranosyl-(1,2)- β-Dfructofuranoside, is composed of
three monosaccharides in the
following order: D-galactose-Dglucose-D-fructose (reading the
structure upward). It can be
considered as galactose + sucrose
connected via an α(1-6) glycosidic
linkage, and so raffinose can be
broken apart into galactose and
sucrose via the enzyme αgalactosidase. Humans and other
monogastric animals (pigs and
poultry) do not contain this enzyme.
The following enzymatic chart illustrates the RFO biochemical pathway.